H.R. 2896: SHIELD Act of 2019

116th Congress · introduced 2019-05-22 · Crime and Law Enforcement · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2019-05-22 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Speier, Jackie [D-CA-14] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

SHIELD Act of 2019

Plain summary

Stopping Harmful Image Exploitation and Limiting Distribution Act of 2019 or the SHIELD Act of 2019 This bill establishes a new criminal offense related to the distribution of intimate visual depictions. Specifically, it makes it a crime to knowingly distribute (or intentionally threaten to distribute) an intimate visual depiction of an individual (1) with knowledge of or reckless disregard for the individual's lack of consent and reasonable expectation of privacy, and (2) without a reasonable belief that distributing the depiction touches a matter of public concern. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

SHIELD Act of 2019

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Speier, Jackie [D-CA-14] · 92 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Katherine M. Clark (D-MA), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Veronica Escobar (D-TX), Sylvia R. Garcia (D-TX), David P. Joyce (R-OH), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Joe Neguse (D-CO), Darren Soto (D-FL), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Kathy Castor (D-FL), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Lori Trahan (D-MA), Bill Foster (D-IL), André Carson (D-IN), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Lucy McBath (D-GA), Ami Bera (D-CA), Salud O. Carbajal (D-CA), Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. (D-CA), Juan Vargas (D-CA), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Grace Meng (D-NY), Lauren Underwood (D-IL), Mike Levin (D-CA), Stacey E. Plaskett (D-VI), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and 32 more.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116hr2896.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/hr>

Record fed-us-cong116-hr2896 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116